25 Drug Discovery, Pharmaceuticals & Cannabis Testing


Two 15 mm grinding balls of stainless steel are added to each tube, grinding is then performed at 25 Hz for only 2 min (Figure 6). Cleaning of the grinding balls is very easy – rinsing with acetone is suffi cient. The tubes are disposed after use. The new method requires about 3 minutes in total, whereas the former method took up to 35 minutes. Especially for testing labs with large sample throughput, the method involving the MM 400 is a great alternative.


In addition to the time factor, the MM 400 offers another advantage over a conventional grinder: The sample loss lies in a tolerable range of 4-5%. Furthermore, the relative standard deviation is usually less in samples homogenised in the MM 400, for example from 5% to 2% in the case of d9-THC for one sample.


Figure 5. Mixer Mill MM 400.


Figure 4. The cannabis sample milled in the CryoMill (left) yields a higher pesticide amount after extraction than the sample milled in the ZM 300 (right).


Contract lab increases sample throughput


with Mixer Mill MM 400 QSI, a German contract laboratory with a focus on pharmaceutical products and cannabis, successfully uses the Mixer Mill MM 400 (Figure 5) to quickly homogenise cannabis samples for subsequent extraction.


They were facing the challenge of homogenising around 30 g of fl ower buds, which can be quite sticky, with minimum sample residues after grinding to avoid cross contamination and due to specifi c legal rules in handling cannabis samples. Cannabis samples were usually ground in common grinder systems. It took them about 15 to 30 min to homogenise 30 g of sample, plus 5 min cleaning. Retsch introduced the Mixer Mill MM 400 including an adapter for 8 x 50 ml Falcon tubes and a series of tests started to ascertain optimum sample fi lling, grinding time, homogenisation grade, reproducibility of the ground samples and sample residues. QSI also wanted to learn about general processes like freezing the sample before grinding.


The following procedure has been established: each tube is fi lled with around 4 g fl ower buds, thus 32 g is pulverised in one run. This is ideal if larger sample amounts are required, or if up to 8 different samples need to be processed. Grinding balls and sample material are frozen at -22°C before grinding.


Figure 6. Flower buds before and after grinding in a 50 ml Falcon tube using the Mixer Mill MM 400. Contact our application expert to learn more about our solutions: t.butt@retsch.com


Cannabinoid Extract Distillation


Pope Scientific’s Wiped-Film Molecular Still, with a 2-inch diameter, has become the standard machine for the final purification of cannabinoid oils, including CBD and THC, to achieve the highest levels of purity, quality, yield, and clarity in the US and across the world. The glass model has a throughput of up to 500 ml/hr, and the optional stainless steel model can process even larger volumes. A feed pump option is available, while the 4-inch and 6-inch models are used for greater throughput. Larger multistage turnkey systems that can handle up to 200 kg/hr or more and can also collect terpenes are also available. Regardless of the extraction method used, exceptional results are guaranteed. The Pope Wiped-Film Evaporators (WFE) are an excellent alternative to rotary and falling film evaporators for continuous large- scale solvent removal, such as post-winterization. Decarboxylation and crystallisation/isolation systems are also on offer. All equipment is manufactured in the USA. The resulting distillate product is optically clear, light yellow, with dark residue, chlorophyll, heavy waxes, salts, and other impurities left behind.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/l16x 59766pr@reply-direct.com


Refractometer Series for Demanding Applications


For over a century, Xylem’s Bellingham + Stanley has been manufacturing refractometers for use within the food, beverage, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Its premier model, the RFM970-T refractometer, has already proven itself within demanding applications with users already benefiting from the instrument’s wide scale range (1.30-1.70 RI), high precision (up to 6 decimals RI), Peltier temperature control and its compliance with FDA Regulation 21 CFR Part 11.


Newly added features include Network User Authentication that synchronises passwords from the user’s company server that eliminate the need for duplicate login control within the instrument itself. Additionally, FTP Instrument Sync - CLI Software further secures laboratory data by making use of Windows® Task Scheduler to automatically copy or move encrypted files from the refractometer to a local PC or company server at a predetermined time.


Customisation of the instrument’s touchscreen display is possible. Users may install and assign iconography to the instrument’s Method display to make selection easier. The boot-up splash screen and screensaver can also be personalised to reflect the environment in which the instruments operates; perhaps with a company logo, local help contact information or a GLP informational notice. Report headers may also be customised with a company logo and site addresses so that they conform to branding guidelines and provide for a better audit trail.


Importantly, the Review & Approve electronic signature process can even be achieved locally or remotely, no matter where in the world. Encrypted Print to Secure PDF, .csv and .XML outputs makes data integration to LIMS simple, secure and auditable.


These new features, along with others such as synchronised server clock, Mean Method for batch analysis, Method limit check and maintenance prompts are not only available in any of the RFM-T series refractometers but are common to a refined selection instruments such as the high precision ADP600 Series of multiple wavelength, Peltier controlled polarimeters.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/o1xj 59859pr@reply-direct.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56